


Devious Smiles

by Kit_Carson



Category: One Piece
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, help how do i tag this?, slightly darker themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 03:31:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14926298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kit_Carson/pseuds/Kit_Carson
Summary: A slightly darker take on the intelligence of the Endearing Rubber Idiot. Or a conversation between Captain and First Mate.





	Devious Smiles

**Author's Note:**

> this was written in one sitting with my partner adding things as i went.  
> I only own an idea and nothing else. hope you enjoy!  
> Kit

Devious Smiles

Roronoa Zoro was a man of many talents. He had both created and mastered a whole new way of sword fighting, He was known as one of the Demon Trio, he was singlehandedly responsible for defeating many people on the Grand Line and in the New World. And right now he was settled in shadow watching his captain. 

The man in question was laughing and enjoying himself in the middle of the Dressrosa victory party, his eyes alight with joy. Zoro was contemplating his captain’s choices of the evening and while the sake was delicious it was not enjoyed by Luffy from the Father cup. Others seemed to let the glint in his eyes slide, however he knew what it meant, and it made a smile stretch across his own lips. One he quickly schooled into something less menacing to people who were not Nakama. 

With the party finally winding down Zoro slipped off from the edge of the crowd and into Luffy’s path towards the cabin. Here, out of sight of everyone, the happy go lucky mask slipped just a shade. Not enough to make it difficult to pull back if someone who wasn’t familier with Strawhat Luffy came by, but enough to show the man under the mask. And it made Zoro’s smile sharpen even more.

There was no cruelty in Luffy’s eyes. In all of his time sailing with the young man he had never seen cruelty in any of his actions. But that didn’t mean that Luffy was all sunshine and sweetness either. Zoro had noticed little things from as far back as he could remember. After all what kind of nutcase takes apart a marine base for three swords for a man he had never met? 

Of course the bar incident with the “Hyena” made it stupidly obvious to Zoro, if not to Nami. That moment of directness, the glint in his eyes, the subtle shift of his voice at the order given, the recognition of how to handle the situation in a split second. Zoro saw it all. And he knew right then what he had been following and watching, what he had been so loyal to. What had drawn him to this Straw Hatted menace. 

“Are you going to let Trafalger see?” 

Luffy didn’t start at the sound of his first mate’s voice, he never did. Always aware, especially of his crew, yet another thing Zoro enjoyed. He did flash teeth in something that resembled a smile in Zoro’s direction. 

“Like the rest of you saw?” that did startle Zoro. Even he was surprised from time to time at how much Luffy noticed about his beloved crew members.

“Ah. Any yet you still play with the mask on around everyone.”

“Of course!” this was a bright response. “Honestly Zoro, what did you expect?”

“Exactly that. You wouldn’t be the captain we love if you didn’t.” 

“Good.” A silence fell between the two men as they settled into the cabin set aside for Luffy alone. It was broken by a very direct question.

“Are you as dumb as you pretend to be?” given the context of the previous conversation it was an odd question for the first mate to ask of his captain. The look of amusement that accompanied the reply was as sharp as Luffy’s smile. 

“Zoro, no one is as dumb as I pretend to be.” This reply did not seem to startle Luffy’s first mate at all. 

“Do the others know how intelligent you really are?” 

“It’s like you said. They have seen me.” 

“But do they understand?” this question heralded a brief silence as Zoro’s captain contemplated his answer.

“Robin probably does. After all she has eyes and ears everywhere.” Luffy responded at last, peering at a partially hidden eye on one wall. It crinkled in an amused fashion before disappearing from sight. Zoro nodded in agreement. 

“Anyone else?” 

“no one else has asked yet. Until then, all they can do is guess. Brook is what, 90 something years old? He can probably tell, but he will never actually ask. After all we, I, accepted him after he was alone for so long. He wasn’t what I expected, but he was exactly what I wanted from a person in his position. Franky was perfect, I marked him early on when I realized he was an even better fit than anyone in the ship yard. He probably guesses to, but like Brook it is age and experience with lots of people that gives him an advantage. Also, he protected Robin. Big selling point right there. Chopper only has a faint idea. He notices, and has even mentioned it before but he won’t ask until he is ready. No sense worrying until then. Sanji of course is happy to go along with anything as long as I don’t waste food or stop his flirtatious behavior. After all, the All Blue can’t be that hard to find. We found a city in the sky, why not a magic ocean? Usopp, the son of the sniper Yasopp, as soon as I realized who he was I realized he would be worth keeping. So I did. And look at how talented he has become. Hell, with the development of his Haki he can help us find the all blue.”

“What do you mean captain?”

“You didn’t notice yet? Well he hasn’t used it much yet but he has Haki now too. As long as we show him how to do what we need he can give us what we want. Perfect really. We just have to make sure he thinks he is the one leading that search, he is after all God. Man that pisses Franky off to no end. Its going to be funny to watch that develop, but keep an eye out, don’t let it turn into something that is actually nasty! Who did we leave off at?”

“What about the Weather Witch?”

“Nami? What do you have against Nami? She is the perfect Navigator for our crew. Who else can recognize the natural weather changes as well as she can. And after her trip to where ever, she is only improved. Natural talent with actual teaching, perfect. And it’s not like that Idiot Arlong actually recognized the blessing he had. Hurting her like that? You get more flies with honey after all.”

Zoro actually chuckled at that. And silence once more fell in perfect accord between the two men. The room began to darken more as the candles burned low. Luffy watched his First Mate chew on another question, the contemplation obvious because Zoro felt he had nothing to hide from his captain. At last curiosity got the best of him. 

“What about me?” the quiet question suited the atmosphere. There was nothing subtle about it, but spoken the way it was left it soft in the descending shadows. White teeth flashed in the waning light. A smile, sharp and sure; easily given to the man who had been the first of his crew. 

“You Zoro? What do you mean? Shishishi.” The distinctive chuckle sounded exactly the same as it did in sunlight, on the deck of the Sunny, but here, with the lights going out one by one and shadows covering Luffy’s eyes, it seemed different, darker. “I chose you. Before all the others, before I had a way to follow the plan to find the others. I chose you. Granted I didn’t expect to find you in such an interesting position. But it made my life easier. I knew you were strong; almost as strong as me. Your reputation had spanned the East Blue and so off I went. Coby helped with that. Never thought he would actually be as useful as he turned out to be. But he even gives Gramps someone to pass his wants on to. I’m sure as shit not gonna do it myself. After all-” and here the strength of the King’s Will if not the full expression of its power filled the cabin.

“I’m Going to be King of the Pirates!” Zoro thought back to all the things in their journey that where blamed on his luck and smiled. 

“And I will be your Right Hand and First Mate when you do.” 

“Good.” The last candle went out leaving them in darkness. In that moment, there was nothing left to say.

End?

Outtake…

Generally speaking Zoro had very few complaints about his life. He was well on his way to becoming the greatest swordsman in the world, he was the right hand of the future Pirate King, and the damn Curly Brow always stocked the best sake. 

That being said, napping underwater was not quite as nice as napping on the deck of the Sunny. There was also no one really to spar with, with both captain and cook gone for the foreseeable future. No space in the sub for Katas to burn off any energy and no weights to lift for strength training so after three days it was becoming telling that the swordsman of the straw-hats was a little tense. 

It was at this time that one Trafalger D. Water Law decided to take matters into his own hands. A twitchy swordsman in a tight space was not a good idea after all; especially when the swordsman in question could easily punch a hole in the sub with a single swipe of his blade. 

“We are surfacing for a little while Zoro-Ya. There is an island nearby to stretch our legs on.”

“I thought we weren’t stopping until we reached Wado?” Zoro dryly 

“Would you rather stay underwater?” the rather bland delivery was quite typical of the older pirate. 

“No.” the venomous reply made Law smirk. 

The Polar Tang breached the surface of the ocean like a whale coming up from the depths. Once it settled on the surface and the waves subsided all the individuals currently on the sub piled onto the deck area and made a beeline for the shore. 

Unlike the crew, Law hesitated before leaving the interior of the sub. His pause was short, subtle in nature, and un-noticed by many. Zoro was not one of many. At the wordless sign he too paused, allowing the others to head for the beach without him. 

With most out of earshot (though he was never sure about Robin) Law turned to the green haired swordsman.

“Zoro-Ya, can you wait for a moment. I have a question for you,” Zoro turned to the taller man eyebrow raised. “it’s about your Captain.” The eyebrow lowered and he smiled, sharklike.

“Your new friend?” Law’s normaly calm face did an entertaining series of expressions. “What about him?” 

“tell me about him. If I am going to be his ally for a while-” “Forever.” Law frowned at the interruption “then I need to know more about him.”

“He is an idiot. What else do you need to know?”

“Is he? Because none of you would follow a true idiot. Would you?” though worded as a question it was spoken by one who already knew the answer. “I don’t believe he is as moronic as he presents himself.”

“Believe what you want, Trafalger.” Zoro offered a smirk of his own but did not move, waiting for the other man to continue.

“I have taken the past few days to study your crew, and all of you are diverse with incredible strengths and strength of character. None of you, even Nose-Ya, would follow a fool. He has come too far and done too much to truly be that moronic.” Zoro looked over Law’s shoulder and then looked back at Law. 

“Ask the question you really want to ask Law. I want to get a good work out in today.”

“Why do you pander to the mask of the fool? If you know as I believe you do, then why do you let him get away with all of the foolish childishness?”

“He is the Man who will be the King of the Pirates. And he is our Captain. Do we need another reason? Just as he chose you, as ally and friend, he chose us as the crew of the Pirate King.”

“Who else knows?” Zoro nodded at something over Law’s shoulder.

“Guess.” Law turned around at the new voice. Robin had appeared back on deck. She smiled and then disappeared. A small seed popped at Law’s feet with a pink medicine cap inside and a single steel screw. Zoro stood strong before Law. The two men silent on the bobbing deck for a moment before Law nodded and left for the island. 

“Captain Trafalger, he intends to keep it that way. So keep it that way.” Another shark like grin graced Zoro’s face before he vanished onto the island to stretch his legs. In the distance Law saw a portion of the forest vanish in a flurry of leaves.   
“Will do….Straw Hat-Ya”

**Author's Note:**

> there could be a epilogue if people like this. let me know please!


End file.
